Mineral Statistics in BGS - the Example of China

Mineral statistics in BGS - the example of China

Teresa Brown 14 October 2008

Fourth largest land area in the world Population > 1.3 billion 94% live in eastern third GDP has grown tenfold in the last 30 years

Alumina Aluminium Antimony Arsenic Asbestos Barytes Bauxite Bentonite Beryl Bismuth Borates Bromine Cadmium Chromium (ore) Coal Cobalt (ore) Cobalt (metal) Copper (ore) Copper Copper (smelter) Copper (refined) Diamond Diatomite Feldspar FerroF erro alloys Fluorspar Fuller’s earth Germanium Gold Graphite Gypsum Iodine Iron ore Pig iron Crude steel Kaolin Lead (ore) Lead (refined) Lithium Magnesite Magnesium Manganese (ore) Mercury Mica Molybdenum Natural gas Sodium carbonate Nepheline syenite Nickel (ore) Nickel (smelter) Perlite Petroleum Phosphates Platinum group Potash Rare earths Salt Selenium Sillimanite Silver Strontium Sulphur & Pyrites Talc Tantalum/Niobium Tellurium Tin (ore) Tin (smelter) Titanium Tungsten (ore) Uranium Vanadium Vermiculite Wollastonite Zinc (ore) Zinc (sla(slab)b) Zirconium minerals

• More than 80% of the world’s production of antimony, graphite, rare earths and tungsten

• More than 50% of the world’s production of magnesite, mercury, fluorspar and barytes

• More than 30% of the world’s production of coal, bismuth, iron & steel, lead, mica, talc and tin

25 800

Bauxite 238% 700 Iron ore 186% 20 Alumina 482% 600 Pig iron 296% s s 500 15 Aluminium 416% 400 Crude steel 327% 10 Million Tonne Million Tonne 300

200 5 100

0 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Bauxite Alumina Primary Aluminium Iron Ore Pig Iron Steel Ingots and Castings

70 3 000

60 Phosphate rock 62% 2 500 Coal 106%

50 2 000

Salt 134% s 40 1 500 30 Million tonne million tonnes 1 000 20

500 10

0 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Phosphate Rock Salt Coal (All forms)

BGS has data back to early 20th century

3000 Coal production 2500

2000

1500

Million tonnes 1000

500

9 2 4 7 0 2 5 8 0 3 5 8 1 3 6 2 3 4 5 5 7 7 8 9 0 9 925 9 9 943 9 9 9 9 976 9 9 994 0 1913 1916 191 1 1 1928 1931 193 1 1 1 1946 1949 195 1 1 1961 1964 1967 1 1 1 1979 1982 198 1 1 1 1997 2000 200 2

2007 2006 Bauxite 2005 2004 Imports have increased by 2003 Exports > 15,000% 2002 Imports 2001 Exports have reduced from 2000 approx 84,000 tpa to zero 1999 1998

-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Million Tonnes

2007

2006 Exports

2005 Coal 2004 Imports have increased by 2003 2002 > 300% 2001 China is still a net exporter of 2000 Imports 1999 coal – but only just!

1998

2007 2006 Iron Ore 2005

2004 Exports Imports have increased by 2003

2002 nearly 600%

2001 Imports 2000

1999

1998

-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Million Tonnes

2007

2006 2005 Exports Salt 2004 In 2004 China changed from 2003

2002 being a net exporter to a net 2001 Imports importer of salt 2000 1999

1998

BGS also has historical trade data – for example: coal

120

100

Million tonnes Million 40

3 6 2 5 8 1 4 7 3 6 9 2 8 4 0 3 6 9 2 5 8 1 4 0 6 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 0 0 91 92 93 94 96 97 98 99 191 1 1919 1 19 192 19 193 1 1940 1 19 194 19 1955 19 1961 1 1967 197 19 197 1 198 1 19 1 19 1997 20 2003 20 Imports Exports

• Previously, Govt ministries controlled state-owned companies data reliable but confidential

• Recently state controls have loosened, more private companies and industry associations are now involved: more data available but less reliable

“… since China reform many government ministries and offices were cancelled. Now no government office controls the industrial minerals industry …”

• Production statistics may be collected from large producers only • Small companies outside of controls

• Metal statistics are more reliable than industrial minerals data “… major metal producers dominate production of metals in China and it is not very difficult for administrations or associations to collect data from them …”

“… there are many small producers of industrial minerals in China, the association could not collect information from all producers …”

• BGS receives industrial minerals data from a contact in China – but it is important to know who your friends are!

“ … actually, there are three levels of cost available in China, the lowest one for a close friend, the normal one for Chinese and the much higher one for foreigner …”

• China’s growth in GDP has been around 10% per year for several years and this is reflected in their mineral production and trade • China is the world’s largest producer of approximately half the commodities we monitor • Data collection is difficult, but the BGS continues to make every effort to ensure our data is of the highest possible quality

For further information on the work conducted by the BGS minerals team, or for free downloads, please visit our website:

www.mineralsUK.com

Thank you